The Constitution of 1845 established the state office, which replaced a similar office under the Republic of Texas. The Constitution of 1876 officially renamed the position and established it as the office of secretary of state. The office’s major duties include attesting the governor’s signature; affixing the state seal to proclamations, commissions, and other documents; and acting as chief election officer. Some early secretaries of state include Allison Mayfield, T.H. Bowman, J.D. Templeton, and A.J. Searcy.

The Secretary of State (Texas) Miscellany, 1835-1896, comprises photocopies of assorted correspondence and official appointment documents related to the Secretary of State office in the 19th century. The correspondence is from companies and other government departments, both in Texas and other states such as Colorado, Illinois, and Iowa.

Basic processing and cataloging of this collection was supported with funds from the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC) for the Briscoe Center’s "History Revealed: Bringing Collections to Light" project, 2009-2011.